If playing against Shaquille O’Neal was a problem for his opponents, his teammates weren’t safe either. Shaq’s habit of playing pranks all the time would often bring embarrassment to his teammates. In his book Shaq Uncut: My Story, the big man talked about his time with the Orlando Magic. Shaq also detailed the practical jokes that he’d play on his teammates and how he kept them on their toes all the time.
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There were several things that Shaq would do to terrorize his teammates. His personal favorite was tackling them down when they were fresh out of the shower. The Diesel entered the league in 1992 when the Magic drafted him as first overall pick in the first round. Shaq unveiled in his book that while his team was slowly getting better, he was too young to let go of the fun at that age. He wrote, “Our team was getting better, but we were still young and foolish and having fun. I was a real practical joker.”
Shaq’s practical jokes soon became a regular theme in the Magic camp and the players realized that they could be his next target without a warning. The NBA legend took real pride in the reputation that he had garnered in the locker room because for him, having fun was equally important. Shaq wrote in his 2011 memoir, “Guys would come out of the shower and I’d completely ambush them, tackle them, take them to the ground. Butt naked, of course.”
“Guys started to realize they better stay sharp on the plane, otherwise they might wake up with pink-painted fingernails,” Shaq added.
A crucial part of Shaq’s brand is his humor and propensity to indulge in seamless banter. The big man’s witty war of words with Charles Barkley has endeared him to a large section of NBA fans years after his retirement. Even though it all started in Orlando, Shaq carried it forward when he moved to LA in 1996. From showing his butt on camera to walking to the Lakers practice facility butt n*ked, Shaq’s list of practical jokes is endless.
Shaquille O’Neal was once caught mooning Rick Fox on Lakers media day
It is clear that Shaq doesn’t get easily embarrassed, at least he didn’t in his younger days. During the 1996 Lakers media day, his teammate Rick Fox was talking to a journalist when the big man showed up. Without wasting any time, Shaq pulled up his pants, showing his butt to Fox and the camera. Recently when the footage was shown to the big man on TNT, he was clearly embarrassed, but only because his mother watches the show.
Apart from showing his butt on national TV, Shaq would often show up to practice, n*ked. His teammate Mark Madsen once unveiled, “Shaq walked onto the court, put his hands up and said ‘I’m ready to practice. He had not one inch of clothing on. So, he was there in all of his glory.” Not only did Shaq show up to practice wearing nothing, but he also tried to hug his teammates in that state. The old Shaq has matured a lot because now at least he gets embarrassed by these stories.
